01/15/2003 FOR: Donaldson Europe Interleuvenlaan, 1 B3001, Leuven Belgium (NYSE: DCI) Donaldson Employee Kathleen Elder Donaldson Employee +32 16 38 39 70 IFS-europe@emea.donaldson.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DONALDSON®’S DOWNFLO® OVAL 1™ DUST COLLECTOR NAMED PRODUCT OF THE YEAR Leuven, Belgium (15 January, 2003) – Donaldson Company, Inc., the leading U.S. manufacturer of industrial filtration systems, has won the 2002 Product of the Year Award from the international publication, Filtration + Separation (F+S), for its Downflo® Oval 1™ (DFO) series of dust collectors. The award, which was presented to Donaldson on 4 December, 2002, recognizes innovative developments by global manufacturers driving the filtration industry. DFO won the competition through an online voting process by readers of F+S. The award is “a testament to the innovative cartridge design that has shown to provide both enhanced performance and economic advantages to the user,” said Heather Johnstone, Editor of F+S, based in the U.K. DFO collectors are currently installed in more than 550 manufacturing plants worldwide. Providing up to 25% more filtration capacity than other same-sized collectors, DFO allows manufacturers to improve their working environments more efficiently and effectively. Donaldson Company, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., is a leading worldwide provider of filtration systems and replacement parts. Donaldson Europe is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. More than 8,500 employees contribute to the company’s success at 40 manufacturing locations around the world. Additional company information is available at www.donaldson.com.